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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to click
  5. ground — crushed
  6. band — a ring
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — a position
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — finally
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. last — to go on
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rock — music
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cue — a hint
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. last — final
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com